Brand advocates can be a reliable way to grow your business. Here are some tips for creating powerful advocates through word-of-mouth, customer retention programs, rewards programs, and more.

Brand advocates are a reliable way to expand your reach on social media. All the company has to do is provide positive experiences for repeat customers. An infographic from BlueNose, a provider of customer retention software, offers five tips on creating stronger advocacy in the B2B and SaaS markets.

The tips include:

Managing customer success. 83 percent of satisfied customers are willing to become advocates. When user acquisition is seven-times more expensive than retention, it’s important to focus on the customers you already have first.

Leverage the power of word-of-mouth. 9 out of 10 customers trust recommendations from friends, and the word of advocates can increase brand influence and trust by 90 percent.

Using a customer rewards program. Rewards can provide added incentive for making referral — and 84 percent of B2B decision makers start their buying process with a referral.

Encourage social sharing. Brand Advocates are three-times more likely to share brand information with someone they don’t know, and their dedication to spreading a social message can generate a lot of leads.

Turn employees into brand advocates. 67 percent of customers trust content created by a technical expert at the company, and employee attitudes can affect customer satisfaction by up to 80 percent.